The Communications Management Association (CMA), a membership organisation for business focused ICT professionals, has launched a scathing attack on the communications regulator, Ofcom UK, over its "acquiescence towards BT's reluctance" to open up their national telecoms network (Physical Infrastructure Access) to rival broadband ISPs.

The group also described the regulators "timidity" towards tackling the "self-serving attitude" of big mobile operators, which relates to their forthcoming auction of next generation superfast Mobile Broadband spectrum (800MHz and 2.6GHz), as being "toxic" and causing frustrating delays.

Last week the UK government appeared to take a similar stance and called upon BT's PIA prices "to be sorted out – and quickly – in a way that allows fair competition" (here). It also warned mobile phone operators not to delay the auction of vital new radio spectrum through tactical legal action.


However the CMA appeared to be equally scathing of the government's stance on helping to rollout superfast broadband to 90% of the UK by 2015. It claimed this would "perversely penalise those areas which show initiative" by allowing BT to make an "aggressive ... tactical responses" (i.e. funding BT to deploy in areas that were previously considered economically unviable, thus crushing innovative smaller competitors).

The CMA proposes a number of ways to resolve the difficulties, such as by splitting BT's Openreach access division up and away from the main operator. It was wants Ofcom to speed up the process of reaching a conclusion over BT's PIA pricing. Finally it suggests that all new 4G mobile license's should include an obligation for access sharing that would "eliminate once and for all the disease of ‘roaming’".

Completely splitting BTOpenreach from BT is often cited as a solution, although such a process would be costly, time consuming and technically very difficult to achieve. Some fear that it might also limit the potential for developing new telecoms infrastructure and technology, while others say the opposite. In any case Ofcom appears unlikely to take that step anytime soon.